Placebo
Battle For The Sun

This album has already been reviewed several times, I don't need to be reminded of that. The fact is, it seems to me there's something more to say about Placebo, something I'm so convinced of that I just can't keep quiet. It's too obvious; is it possible no one has ever thought of it? I don't believe it! So I'll take it upon myself to say it clearly, without too much verbal acrobatics: Placebo have made five nearly identical albums in their career. This is different.

"Oh! It must be wonderful then, finally these three wretches are experimenting a bit!" your neuron Alice in Brain Land might be thinking. Or more probably you are already thinking that it's a colossal mess, because, even in a latent way, you've also recognized the reality of the facts: Placebo knows how to play only two songs, and they've played them for five whole albums. If you don't quite remember, they are the fast easy-power-grunge-pop-rock track with a well-highlighted bass (let's call it "Bionic", third track, first CD) and the heartbreaking ballad (and often tiring) from which you can't escape (let's call it "Hang On To Your IQ", fifth track, first CD). Do you like those two tracks? well, then you like Placebo. Do you like Coca-Cola? then you'll probably like Pepsi too, and maybe even Coke Zero. Sure, "Meds" annoyed us a bit, let's be honest, because it was like Tomb Raider 5. Do you remember? ok, you loved the fourth one even though it's the same as the first three, because Coca-Cola never bores, but even the 5th, hell no, like that you get annoyed! yet I'll tell you, love overcomes every flaw, even the congenital ones, so I endured that too, with a can of Coca-Cola by my side... but "Meds" just no. I can no longer listen to "Meds," it's more plastic than a Placebo album produced by Timbaland with a special appearance by Bono Vox. So we come to this.

Placebo have stopped making albums for years now. Now they make songs. The first two albums were (still) albums. From "Black Market" onwards, they are just collections of songs. This "Battle For The Sun" is no exception. The difference from the others? only one, but alas, of traumatic importance: they no longer play those two songs! now they play others, maybe there's even more variety, but they are such dull things that one really wonders how they manage not to fall asleep during performances. It's impossible to talk about any particular track, although there are ones that are better or worse, because essentially there is no memorable track. We were used to so much production work, Placebo always had the polish... but here they really overdo it. They are colder than Kraftwerk. If the overwhelming studio work weren't enough, the album itself is weak, their cadaverous way of playing...the almost total absence of interesting ideas.

They tried to rejuvenate the sound by "inventing" a "new" one (alternative-twoball-rock from the supermarket) but, in essence, it would have been better if they had focused on doing what they do best, releasing yet another clone, preferably decently made (they've done it five times, so why not a sixth?) maybe on the level of "Without You" (which, for the writer, is not exactly the masterpiece that many proclaim) rather than an album that bores you to death from the very first listen and above all, worst of all, questions every certainty, because if up to now you've adored a band that only manages to play two songs and gets lost in a glass of water when it comes to changing a bit, then you start to notice how thin the line is between Placebo and Tokio Hotel...(good God!).

I sincerely hope Placebo retires, because if they're already dead and buried, it's only right they rest in their coffins now. I don't know about you, but I usually shoot zombies in the head. Two interesting videos on Placebo (where Brian Molko claims to have changed rock history with this album. He was joking of course! I hope... and "Special Needs", because it's my favorite. It has nothing to do with the review, but I'm talking about Placebo...).